Davis Dam and Powerplant

Davis Dam and Powerplant facility was constructed by the
Bureau of Reclamation in Pyramid Canyon, 67 miles downstream from
Hoover Dam. The site is about 10 miles north of the point where
Arizona, Nevada, and California meet and approximately 2 miles
upstream from the Laughlin, Nevada, and Bullhead City, Arizona,
communities.

Reclamation had investigated a possible dam site in Pyramid Canyon as early as 1902-03, but until Hoover Dam controlled the Colorado River, a dam at the Davis site was not considered practicable. In 1930, as the Hoover Dam project was moving forward, Reclamation made further investigations and explorations of the site which led to the authorization of the Davis Dam Project.

The site was named in 1941 in honor of Arthur Powell Davis,
Director of Reclamation from 1914 to 1932. Davis was one of a
small group of men whose courage, foresight and vision sparked
the beginning of Colorado River development.

The Davis Dam Project was authorized April 26, 1941, and a contract for the construction of the dam and its associated structures was awarded in June 1942. However, work was halted after the War Production Board revoked priority ratings needed to obtain the necessary materials for construction. Work resumed in 1946, and the dam and powerplant were completed in 1953.

Davis Dam is an earth and rock-fill embankment
with a concrete spillway, gravity structure, intake structure and
powerplant. Behind the dam lies Lake Mohave which is confined
for most of its length between the steep walls of Pyramid,
Painted, Eldorado and Black Canyons. The lake is comparatively
narrow, not more than 4 miles across at its widest point.

The primary purpose of Davis Dam is to re-regulate Hoover Dam
releases to meet downstream needs including the annual delivery
of 1.5 million acre-feet of water to Mexico. This is in
accordance with the 1944 water treaty with Mexico. Lake Mohave
also provides recreation and habitat for fish and wildlife.
Additionally, the lake captures and delays the discharge of flash
floods from side washes below Hoover Dam.

Located on the Arizona side of the river, the Davis Dam
Powerplant is immediately downstream from the dam embankment. The forebay is formed by the intake, spillway and gravity
structures.

The powerplant adds substantially to the Colorado River
hydroelectric energy pool by generating 1 to 2 billion kilowatt-hours annually. This energy is used in the Southwest to turn the
wheels of industry and pump water from wells to irrigate
farmlands and water livestock.

The Davis Dam and Powerplant facility was constructed at the cost
of approximately $67 million, which was repaid from power revenues.
Contributions also came from the Federal Highway Administration
and the State of Arizona for bridge and highway construction.

Lower Colorado Dams Area Office
Davis Dam is part of the Lower Colorado Dams Area Office, headquartered
at Hoover Dam. The project also includes Parker Dam. Hoover,
Davis and Parker Dams are operated integrally to control floods
along the river and furnish hydroelectric energy through
interconnections with Western Area Power Administration power
systems.

Power Transmission System
The Davis Dam Powerplant is linked with a federal power
distribution system operated by the Western Area Power
Administration. The total system consists of 2100 miles of high-voltage transmission lines serving 43 power substations in
Arizona, Nevada, and California which supplies
power to a number of utilities and other entities in this area.

Western's dispatching headquarters in Phoenix, the nerve center
of the transmission system, can interconnect energy from the plants
in the Lower Colorado River Basin with power generating facilities
in the Upper Colorado River Basin and the Pacific Northwest. The
facility can direct the flow of more than 4 billion kilowatt-hours of Colorado
River hydroelectricenergy annually.

RecreationLake Mohave,
behind Davis Dam, is part of Lake Mead National
Recreation Area administered by the National Park Service. The
area around the lake and along the Colorado River below Davis Dam
provides a multitude of recreational opportunities, including
fishing, boating, swimming, water skiing, camping, picnicking,
exploring, photography and just plain relaxing.

Facilities for public use are located at Katherine's Landing in
Arizona near Davis Dam and at Cottonwood Cove east of
Searchlight, Nevada. Public campgrounds are available at these
locations where concessionaires provide trailer parks,
restaurants, lodging, docking facilities, boat and fishing tackle
equipment, and fishing licenses. A fishing license from either
Arizona or Nevada to which a special-use stamp from the opposite
state is attached, is required for those wishing to fish on Lake
Mead or Lake Mohave. Rainbow trout are found in the cool, clear
water at the upper end of Lake Mohave, while largemouth and
striped bass can be taken from the lower reaches of the lake.

TOURS ARE NOT AVAILABLE at Davis Dam. However, visitors are welcome to park atop the dam and view the features and interpretive panels at the site.